Sunday, November 30, 2008

The airport was empty. The day before Thanksgiving, the airport was empty. I have to admit, if the parents hadn't been so persuasive, we wouldn't have spent the money on plane tickets, either, but geeze o pete, this is usually the busiest travel week of the year, right?

Monday, November 24, 2008

The invitational is a one-night group show (32 local artists) and silent auction going on 6-10 p.m. tonight (Friday, Nov. 21) at Hoffman LaChance Contemporary, 3100 Sutton Blvd. in Maplewood.

Our annual Art Invitational has a few simple rules. Artists must respond to the poem that is the subject of the event, and they must title their work after a verbatim quote from the poem. The work is then arranged in the exhibit space based upon where in the flow of the poem the quote chosen as the title appears.

This year, the poem we all have been inhabiting is Nailed Seraphim, a meditation on 9/11 and the American crucible by local (national) poet K. Curtis Lyle.

More info at Chris Kings blogsite -

http://poetryscores.blogspot.com/

The poet is the tall man in the white shirt near the top center of the photo.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

See new sculpture, pottery, jewelry, paintings and video by Carmelita Nuñez and Daniel Shown of Kung Fu Chicken at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park's Contemporary Art Gallery. This art is overtly jubilant, and subtly spiritual and political. Buy a re-leaf, a recycled aluminum leaf trinket, and contribute directly to global reforestation efforts. This is Kung Fu Chicken's first solo gallery exhibit. Opening reception Friday, November 21, 6-8 p.m. The Show is up through December.

None of my photos of Daniel's video work did it justice, so you're just going to have to go see it yourself.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

In a completely self absorbed burst of narcissism, I would like to talk about my shoulder. It's been two months since I had a torn muscle sewn back together, a detached muscle stitched back to the bone, and bone spurs smoothed off the socket. PT has been going remarkably well, and I am strong enough to use a digital SLR for an afternoon of shooting. The heavier film SLR and 645 are still challenges, but I should be there soon. By Christmas / New Year's vacation I should be able to lift jugs of chemicals well enough to process the film I shot in the Smokies last summer.

Turnabout is fair, right? Here are some pics Julie took of me 2 months ago- the first two while I was waiting to get cut, the third as I was trying to keep my numb lifeless arm in the new sling.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Julie and I visited the marriage protest downtown at the old courthouse. I didn't see a bunch of people I expected to see, but it was still a pretty good crowd for a cold gray day. Who knew St. Louis had so many straight people who aren't afraid of being mistaken for gay?

Our mayor spoke.

Folks networked and visited with old friends.

People carried a lot of signs.

Everyone seemed friendly and supportive. I didn't see any counter-demonstrations, which is pretty weird. Shouldn't someone have shown up to helpfully point out that we're all going to hell?

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Julie and I stopped at Van Goghz Martini Bar & Bistro for the first time after work last Friday. I'm sure we'll go back, even if it's just so I can get some decent pictures. Of course, the big frothy cafe au lait is kind of a draw, too.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

JD, a couple other geeky laptop toting types and I took control of the Gelateria's back corner Saturday afternoon. The Inside back corner, not the very chilly outside corner pictured above. I wasn't doing anything really constructive - just drinking too much coffee and playing with pictures. Other people there were hard at work on their National Novel Writing Month projects. Not me. I take pictures.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Julie's grandmother has moved in with Julie's mom. I don't know the full story, but it's been under discussion for a while. Julie and I went down to Pevely this morning to see if we could do anything to help clear out the apartment. Mostly I took pictures and carted stuff out to the dumpster with the help of the young'un cousins.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Last night I brought home a new smartphone that should replace my old cellphone and pda. Configuration is still under way, but you know darn well what I played with first - the camera. It's atrocious by any highbrow standard, and I love it. It's my digital Holga.

Julie played with it, too, this morning. I wondered why she was putting a penguin on my neck...

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

I'm really lucky; I can walk to the end of my block and vote. I did that this morning at 6:30. Lines were a little longer than usual.Okay, "a little longer than usual" is what Julie would call a Marschikism - an extreme understatement with a completely deadpan delivery. Anyway, the longest line I've ever seen at this polling place was still entirely inside the church. This morning I was greeted with this line snaking across the parking lot. Then, when I reached the end off the building on the left, I saw this:The line bent between the two buildings. Still, things moved pretty well. By 7:35 I was walking back to my house to get my car and go to work. Hope your voting goes as well if not better.